“Technology is like a fish. The longer it stays on the shelf, the less desirable it becomes.” Andrew Heller

Did you ever go to a Web site and think – “Sheesh when is the last time someone updated this thing?!”Many business owners spend good money creating a Web site – they hire a Web designer, pay for the programming and development and put a lot of money into their new Web page, only to forget about it and let it get stale.

If you have a site and no one can find it, you wasted your money.

If you have a site that falls behind the times, it is a similar result. People have such a short attention span. Your goal is to keep someone on your site for over 2 minutes. I invite you to check your web stats – you will probably find most people leave before *30* seconds. In fact, statistics show that the typical surfer will stay on a site for 7 seconds before moving on unless there is something keeping their attention and educating them and providing them tangible value…or at least catchy text and fancy testimonials to keep their attention.

As a business owner, consider these points for your Web site….

Do you have a blog? When is the last time you updated it with the newest industry news or your opinions on important issues relating to your products and services?

Do you have rich media embedded into your site? Audio, video, YouTube or the Virtual Sales Person are key today to get your visitor’s attention with multiple senses. But if you do, please offer a pause and stop button. I really shouldn’t have to listen to the same intro every time I go back to your home page.

Do you have a feed to your social networking medium of choice? Creating a following is important today so you can dynamically build relationship with your current and future clients. So, even though you don’t have time and don’t get it and don’t know where to start, you should be on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Even Google and AOL now have status updates and are honing into the social networking game. Whatever you use, get more mileage from it by offering your Web site visitors your latest micro-blog status updates on your site.

Do you offer an e-commerce product on your site? If you have a Web site and do not offer a way for your customers to purchase from you on it, you are missing a huge opportunity. Sell a product, your services or content in the form of an e-book, podcast subscription or teleseminar.

Can your customers review your products and services on your site? Every site on the Web is an opportunity for the consumer to interact today. Offering a way for them to do so on your site is a way to get them to come back because you are creating a community for them. Like being the house all the kids want to hang out at after school because you always have freshly baked chocolate chip cookies (Thanks Mrs. S.) Whether they have an opportunity to review your products/services or to comment on your blog or you have gone the extra step to create a forum for them to discuss topics related to your business, it will help you create a return customer.

What does your site offer your visitors that is cutting edge and interactive? What other ideas can you offer to keep the site up to date and with the times?

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